Distinguishing Prayer
“To move man by God through prayer alone.”
Hudson Taylor
Today we begin to think about prayer. Prayer seems to be the common human desire to commune with God.
Even non-Christians pray. Soldiers in fox holes pray, people pray before they go into surgery or before a final exam.
Prayer is not what distinguishes us as a Christian- but how we pray does.
In Romans 8 we are taught that since we have received the Spirit of God at our conversion we “cry out Abba, Father.” Paul tells us that this inclination to pray to God as our Father is the “Spirit of adoption” within us. Jesus also taught us to pray by saying: “Our Father, who art in Heaven.” In addition, Jesus instructed the disciples to pray “in His name.” Thus the Triune nature of our prayers is one of the distinguishing aspects of prayer for the Christian.
We pray To the Father, in the Spirit, and through the Son. Jesus is our advocate who intercedes our case. His atonement is the ground of our salvation and our acceptance with the Father. The Spirit also intercedes for us “with groaning’s too deep for words”
(Romans 8). The Father then governs our lives according to His Sovereign will as we implore Him that “His will be done” in Jesus name. He knows the things we need before we ask. Our names are engraven on His heart. Our burdens He gladly carries if we cast them upon Him.
Our sorrows, sickness and griefs He has borne. Let us go to Him as a trusting child and with great boldness lay our hearts before Him and commune with our God who loves us dearly.
Because of grace,
Tim
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